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Title:
Acculturation and bicultural efficacy effects on Chinese American immigrants’ diabetes and health management
Authors:
Chun, Kevin M.; Kwan, Christine M. L.; Strycker, Lisa A.; Chesla, Catherine A.
Abstract:
The primary goal of this study was to examine effects of bicultural efficacy, or perceived confidence in dealing with bicultural acculturation stressors, on type 2 diabetes management and health for first-generation, Cantonese-speaking, Chinese American immigrants (N = 162) recruited for a larger community-based diabetes intervention study (Chesla et al. in Res Nurs Health 36(4):359–372, 2013. doi: 10.1002/nur.21543). The current study also tested whether a new Bicultural Efficacy in Health Management (BEFF-HM) scale is a more robust predictor of diabetes and health outcomes than proxy (years in the U.S.) and general acculturation measures. Hierarchical regression analyses of cross-sectional data revealed that high BEFF-HM was significantly related to positive outcomes on five of six diabetes and health measures as hypothesized after accounting for participant characteristics, proxy and general acculturation measures, and social support. Proxy and general acculturation measures failed to predict any study outcome supporting our secondary hypothesis that BEFF-HM is a better predictor of Chinese American immigrants’ diabetes and health management. An immigrant-focused research approach advances understanding of acculturation and bicultural efficacy effects on health by identifying key acculturation domains for study.
Published:
September 30, 2016
Title:
Migration, Health Care Behaviors, and Primary Care for Rural Latinos with Diabetes
Authors:
Moreno, Gerardo; Morales, Leo S.; Batts, Felicia; Noguera, Christine; Isiordia, Marilu; Mangione, Carol M.
Abstract:
Many US Latinos migrate or travel between the US and Mexico on a regular basis, defined as circular migration. Latinos with diabetes (n = 250) were surveyed about circular migration and their ability to use medications and perform recommended diabetes self-care activities. A review of medical charts was performed. Twenty-eight percent (n = 70) of patients traveled to Mexico during the last 12 months. Older Latinos were more likely to report traveling to Mexico and back into the US. Among those that traveled, 29 % reported use of less medication than they wanted to or were prescribed because of travel and 20 % ran out of medications. The rate of reported problem areas while traveling were 39 % (27/70) for following a diabetic diet, 31 % (21/70) for taking medication, and 37 % (26/70) for glucose self-monitoring. The results suggest that the structure of primary care and care coordination are important for this population to fully engage in diabetes self-care.
Published:
September 30, 2016
Title:
Reduced levels of potential circulating biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases in apparently healthy vegetarian men
Authors:
Navarro, Julio Acosta; de Gouveia, Luiza Antoniazzi; Rocha-Penha, Lilliam; Cinegaglia, Naiara; Belo, Vanessa; Castro, Michele Mazzaron de; Sandrim, Valeria Cristina
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Several evidences report that a vegetarian diet is protector against cardiovascular diseases. Few studies have demonstrated the circulating profile of cardiovascular biomarkers in vegetarians. Therefore, the aims of the current study were compared the plasma concentrations of myeloperoxidase (MPO), metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, MMP-2, tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 between healthy vegetarian (Veg) and healthy omnivorous (Omn). METHODS: Using ELISA and multiplexed bead immunoassay, we measured in plasma from 43 Veg and 41 Omn the cardiovascular biomarkers concentrations cited above. RESULTS: We found significant lower concentrations of MPO, MMP-9, MMP-2 and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio in Veg compared to Omn (all P<0.05). Moreover, MMP-9 concentrations were correlated positively with leukocytes and neutrophils count in both groups (all P
Published:
September 30, 2016
Title:
The Groundskeeper Gaming Platform as a Diagnostic Tool for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Sensitivity, Specificity, and Relation to Other Measures
Authors:
Faraone, Stephen V.; Newcorn, Jeffrey H.; Antshel, Kevin M.; Adler, Lenard; Roots, Kurt; Heller, Monika
Abstract:
Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the relative accuracies of the Conners' Brief Rating Scale, Parent Version, the Conners' Continuous Performance Test II (CPT II), and a novel interactive game called “Groundskeeper” to discriminate child psychiatric patients with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)., Methods: We administered the three assessments to 113 clinically referred ADHD and non-ADHD patients who had been diagnosed with the Kiddie-Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia- Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL), Version 19., Results: As measured by the area under the curve (AUC) statistic from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the diagnostic accuracy of Groundskeeper (0.79) was as high as the accuracy of the Conners' parent rating of inattention (0.76) and better than the CPT II percent correct (0.62). Combining the three tests produced an AUC of 0.87. Correlations among the three measures were small and, mostly, not significant., Conclusions: Our finding of similar diagnostic accuracies between Groundskeeper and the Conners' inattention scale is especially remarkable given that the Conners' inattention scale shares method variance with the diagnostic process. Although our work is preliminary, it suggests that computer games may be useful in the diagnostic process. This provides an important direction for research, given the objectivity of such measures and the fact that computer games are well tolerated by youth.
Published:
September 30, 2016
Title:
Ethnic Differences in the Food Intake Patterns and Its Associated Factors of Adolescents in Kelantan, Malaysia
Authors:
Abdullah, Nurul-Fadhilah; Teo, Pey Sze; Foo, Leng Huat
Abstract:
Objective: The aim of the study was to identify the ethnic differences in dietary patterns and its association with socio-economic, dietary and lifestyle practices among adolescents in Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods: A population-based study of 454 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years was included. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary patterns and three dietary patterns were identified based on the principal component analysis method. Results: Malay adolescents had significantly higher scores for the Western-based food pattern and local-based food pattern, whereas Chinese adolescents showed higher scores for the healthy-based food pattern. Multivariate analyses show that age and physical activity (PA) levels were positively associated with healthy-based food pattern in Malay (All, p < 0.001), whereas higher consumption of eating-out from home (EatOut) (p = 0.014) and fast food (p = 0.041) were negatively associated. High weekly breakfast skipping (p < 0.001) and EatOut (p = 0.003) were positively associated with a Western-based pattern, whereas age (p < 0.001) and household income (p = 0.005) were negatively associated. Higher frequency of daily snacking (p = 0.013) was positively associated with local-based food pattern. For Chinese adolescents, age (p < 0.001), PA levels (p
Published:
September 11, 2016
Title:
Evolutionary change in physiological phenotypes along the human lineage
Authors:
Vining, Alexander Q.; Nunn, Charles L.
Abstract:
Background and Objectives: Research in evolutionary medicine provides many examples of how evolution has shaped human susceptibility to disease. Traits undergoing rapid evolutionary change may result in associated costs or reduce the energy available to other traits. We hypothesize that humans have experienced more such changes than other primates as a result of major evolutionary change along the human lineage. We investigated 41 physiological traits across 50 primate species to identify traits that have undergone marked evolutionary change along the human lineage., Methodology: We analysed the data using two Bayesian phylogenetic comparative methods. One approach models trait covariation in non-human primates and predicts human phenotypes to identify whether humans are evolutionary outliers. The other approach models adaptive shifts under an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model of evolution to assess whether inferred shifts are more common on the human branch than on other primate lineages., Results: We identified four traits with strong evidence for an evolutionary increase on the human lineage (amylase, haematocrit, phosphorus and monocytes) and one trait with strong evidence for decrease (neutrophilic bands). Humans exhibited more cases of distinct evolutionary change than other primates., Conclusions and Implications: Human physiology has undergone increased evolutionary change compared to other primates. Long distance running may have contributed to increases in haematocrit and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, while dietary changes are likely related to increases in amylase. In accordance with the pathogen load hypothesis, human monocyte levels were increased, but many other immune-related measures were not. Determining the mechanisms underlying conspicuous evolutionary change in these traits may provide new insights into human disease.
Published:
September 10, 2016
Title:
Individual Differences in the Post-Illumination Pupil Response to Blue Light: Assessment without Mydriatics
Authors:
Bruijel, Jessica; van der Meijden, Wisse P.; Bijlenga, Denise; Dorani, Farangis; Coppens, Joris E.; Te Lindert, Bart H. W.; Kooij, J. J. Sandra; Van Someren, Eus J. W.
Abstract:
Melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells play an important role in the non-image forming effects of light, through their direct projections on brain circuits involved in circadian rhythms, mood and alertness. Individual differences in the functionality of the melanopsin-signaling circuitry can be reliably quantified using the maximum post-illumination pupil response (PIPR) after blue light. Previous protocols for acquiring PIPR relied on the use of mydriatics to dilate the light-exposed eye. However, pharmacological pupil dilation is uncomfortable for the participants and requires ophthalmological expertise. Hence, we here investigated whether an individual's maximum PIPR can be validly obtained in a protocol that does not use mydriatics but rather increases the intensity of the light stimulus. In 18 participants (5 males, mean age ± SD: 34.6 ± 13.6 years) we evaluated the PIPR after exposure to intensified blue light (550 µW/cm²) provided to an undilated dynamic pupil. The test-retest reliability of the primary PIPR outcome parameter was very high, both between day-to-day assessments (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) = 0.85), as well as between winter and summer assessments (ICC = 0.83). Compared to the PIPR obtained with the use of mydriatics and 160 µW/cm² blue light exposure, the method with intensified light without mydriatics showed almost zero bias according to Bland-Altman plots and had moderate to strong reliability (ICC = 0.67). In conclusion, for PIPR assessments, increasing the light intensity is a feasible and reliable alternative to pupil dilation to relieve the participant's burden and to allow for performance outside the ophthalmological clinic.
Published:
September 8, 2016
Title:
Oxidative stress in prostate hyperplasia and carcinogenesis
Authors:
Udensi, Udensi K.; Tchounwou, Paul B.
Abstract:
Prostatic hyperplasia (PH) is a common urologic disease that affects mostly elderly men. PH can be classified as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or prostate cancer (PCa) based on its severity. Oxidative stress (OS) is known to influence the activities of inflammatory mediators and other cellular processes involved in the initiation, promotion and progression of human neoplasms including prostate cancer. Scientific evidence also suggests that micronutrient supplementation may restore the antioxidant status and hence improve the clinical outcomes for patients with BPH and PCa. This review highlights the recent studies on prostate hyperplasia and carcinogenesis, and examines the role of OS on the molecular pathology of prostate cancer progression and treatment.
Published:
September 7, 2016
Title:
Review Article: Indigenous health in the Arctic: an overview of the circumpolar Inuit population:
Authors:
Bjerregaard, Peter; Young, T. Kue; Dewailly, Eric; Ebbesson, Sven O. E.
Abstract:
The health of the Inuit has undergone substantial changes over the past five centuries, as a result of social, cultural, and economic changes brought about by i...
Published:
September 4, 2016
Title:
Advances in Integrating Traditional and Omic Biomarkers When Analyzing the Effects of the Mediterranean Diet Intervention in Cardiovascular Prevention
Authors:
Fitó, Montserrat; Melander, Olle; Martínez, José Alfredo; Toledo, Estefanía; Carpéné, Christian; Corella, Dolores
Abstract:
Intervention with Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has provided a high level of evidence in primary prevention of cardiovascular events. Besides enhancing protection from classical risk factors, an improvement has also been described in a number of non-classical ones. Benefits have been reported on biomarkers of oxidation, inflammation, cellular adhesion, adipokine production, and pro-thrombotic state. Although the benefits of the MedDiet have been attributed to its richness in antioxidants, the mechanisms by which it exercises its beneficial effects are not well known. It is thought that the integration of omics including genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and metabolomics, into studies analyzing nutrition and cardiovascular diseases will provide new clues regarding these mechanisms. However, omics integration is still in its infancy. Currently, some single-omics analyses have provided valuable data, mostly in the field of genomics. Thus, several gene-diet interactions in determining both intermediate (plasma lipids, etc.) and final cardiovascular phenotypes (stroke, myocardial infarction, etc.) have been reported. However, few studies have analyzed changes in gene expression and, moreover very few have focused on epigenomic or metabolomic biomarkers related to the MedDiet. Nevertheless, these preliminary results can help to better understand the inter-individual differences in cardiovascular risk and dietary response for further applications in personalized nutrition.
Published:
September 1, 2016
Title:
A Review of the Evidence Supporting the Taste of Non-esterified Fatty Acids in Humans
Authors:
Running, Cordelia; Mattes, Richard
Abstract:
Dietary fats contribute to the flavor of foods by multiple mechanisms. A role for their taste has only recently gained credence. Current evidence indicates non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) are the effective stimuli for the taste component. CD36 and GPR120 are putative receptors, but may not fully account for the totality of the range of sensations elicited by fatty acids. The sensory quality of long-chain NEFA is not adequately characterized by commonly accepted taste primary qualities and has been termed oleogustus. There is marked individual variability in sensitivity to the taste of NEFA prompting hypotheses of genetic and environmental determinants. Though an association with BMI has been proposed, the preponderance of evidence is not supportive. The importance of oleogustus has not been fully established, but likely contributes to flavor, which influences food choice as well as lipid metabolism and chronic disease risk. A better understanding of oleogustus may provide insights useful for product formulation.
Published:
August 31, 2016
Title:
Antipsychotic Use in Pregnancy and the Risk for Congenital Malformations
Authors:
Huybrechts, Krista F.; Hernández-Díaz, Sonia; Patorno, Elisabetta; Desai, Rishi J.; Mogun, Helen; Dejene, Sara Z.; Cohen, Jacqueline M.; Panchaud, Alice; Cohen, Lee; Bateman, Brian T.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To examine the risk for congenital malformations overall and cardiac malformations associated with first-trimester exposure to APs. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This nationwide sample of 1 360 101 pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid with a live-born infant constituted the pregnancy cohort nested in the Medicaid Analytic Extract database, which included data from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2010. Participants were enrolled in Medicaid from 3 months before their last menstrual period through at least 1 month after delivery. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated using generalized linear models with fine stratification on the propensity score to control for the underlying psychiatric disorders and other potential confounders. Data were analyzed during 2015. EXPOSURES Use of APs during the first trimester, the etiologically relevant period for organogenesis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Major congenital malformations overall and cardiac malformations identified during the first 90 days after delivery. RESULTS Of the 1 341 715 pregnancies that met inclusion criteria (mean [SD] age of women, 24.02 [5.77] years), 9258 (0.69%) filled at least 1 prescription for an atypical AP and 733 (0.05%) filled at least 1 prescription for a typical AP during the first trimester. Overall, 32.7 (95% CI, 32.4-33.0) per 1000 births not exposed to APs were diagnosed with congenital malformations compared with 44.5 (95% CI, 40.5-48.9) per 1000 births exposed to atypical and 38.2 (95% CI, 26.6-54.7) per 1000 births exposed to typical APs. Unadjusted analyses suggested an increased risk for malformations overall for atypical APs (RR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.24-1.50) but not for typical APs (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.81-1.68). After confounding adjustment, the RR was reduced to 1.05 (95% CI, 0.96-1.16) for atypical APs and 0.90 (95% CI, 0.62-1.31) for typical APs. The findings for cardiac malformations were similar. For the individual agents examined, a small increased risk in overall malformations (RR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.02-1.56) and cardiac malformations (RR, 1.26; 95% CI, 0.88-1.81) was found for risperidone that was independent of measured confounders. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Evidence from this large study suggests that use of APs early in pregnancy generally does not meaningfully increase the risk for congenital malformations overall or cardiac malformations in particular. The small increase in the risk for malformations observed with risperidone requires additional study.
Published:
August 31, 2016
Title:
Crohn's disease successfully treated with the paleolithic ketogenic diet
Authors:
Tóth, Csaba; Dabóczi, Andrea; Howard, Mark; Miller, Nicholas; Clemens, Zsofia
Abstract:
Introduction: Crohn’s disease is regarded as having no curative treatment. Previous reports on dietary therapy of Crohn’s disease indicate no major success. Case Report: Here we report a severe case of Crohn’s disease where we successfully applied the paleolithic ketogenic diet. Dietary therapy resulted in resolution of symptoms, normalized laboratory parameters as well as gradual normalization of bowel inflammation as evidenced by imaging data and normalization of intestinal permeability as shown by the polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) challenge test. The patient was able to discontinue medication within two weeks. Currently, he is on the diet for 15 months and is free of symptoms as well as side effects. Conclusion: We conclude that the paleolithic ketogenic diet was feasible, effective and safe in the present case.
Published:
August 31, 2016
Title:
Halted Progression of Soft Palate Cancer in a Patient Treated with the Paleolithic Ketogenic Diet Alone: A 20-months Follow-up
Authors:
Tóth, Csaba; Clemens, Zsofia
Abstract:
Introduction: Myoepithelial tumor of the soft palate is associated with rapid progression and poor outcome. The standard care includes surgery with optional radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Case report: Here we present a case with myoepithelial tumor of the soft palate where the patient denied conventional treatment options. Instead, the patient started the paleolithic ketogenic diet which resulted in a halted progression of the tumor as evidenced by imaging follow-up. Currently, the patient is on the diet for 20 months, without symptoms and side effects. Conclusion: We conclude that the paleolithic ketogenic diet was effective and safe in this patient.
Published:
August 31, 2016
Title:
Hepatocellular carcinoma: Exploring the impact of ethnicity on molecular biology
Authors:
Lamarca, Angela; Mendiola, Marta; Barriuso, Jorge
Abstract:
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. The high rate of diagnosis in non-curable stages and the lack of novel active treatments make it necessary to review all the possible sources of misleading results in this scenario. The incidence of HCC shows clear geographical variation with higher annual incidence in Asia and Africa than in Western countries; we aimed to review the literature to find if there are different trends in the main activated molecular pathways. Hyperactivation of RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) process are more prevalent in the Western population; however, fibroblast growth factor (FGF), transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and Notch pathways seems to be more relevant in Asian population. Whether these variations just reflect the distinct distribution of known causes of HCC or proper ethnical differences remain to be elucidated. Nevertheless, these clearly different patterns are relevant to regional or worldwide clinical trial design. If this information is neglected by sponsors and researchers the rate of failure in HCC trials will not improve.
Published:
August 31, 2016
Title:
If You can't beat It-Use It: Why and how clinicians need to consider social media in the treatment of adolescents with obesity
Authors:
Holmberg, Christopher
Abstract:
Obesity is a prevalent, costly and severe health concern among adolescents. Although the incidence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in countries such as the United States, France and Sweden seems to have plateaued in recent years, rates remain high. It is important to focus on adolescents as the probabilities of an obese child to develop into an obese adult are much higher than for a healthy weight child. One potent environmental factor influencing the rise in obesity is the pervasive presence of food and beverage marketing to young people. Today, much of the food marketing relies on social media, and adolescents are heavy users of social media. In countries such as the USA and Sweden, more than 70% of adolescents at ages 13–17 use a social media site on a daily basis. Food marketing in social media works through a range of mechanisms, and the sight of food elicits a variety of brain responses related to preparation for food intake, desire to eat and cognitive processes such as hedonic evaluation. Food advertisements is powerful as brain reactivity to visual food cues has been shown to predict future weight gain in adolescents and to predict snack consumption.Snack and beverage companies are utilizing a wide range of sophisticated social media marketing techniques targeting adolescent consumers. Previous studies analyzing television advertisements seen by children showed that these promoted unhealthy foods, and the same seems to be true in social media.
Published:
August 31, 2016
Title:
Increased fat catabolism sustains water balance during fasting in zebra finches
Authors:
Rutkowska, Joanna; Sadowska, Edyta T.; Cichoń, Mariusz; Bauchinger, Ulf
Abstract:
Skip to Next Section Patterns of physiological flexibility in response to fasting are well established, but much less is known about the contribution of water deprivation to the observed effects. We investigated body composition and energy and water budget in three groups of zebra finches: birds with access to food and water, food-deprived birds having access to drinking water and food-and-water-deprived birds. Animals were not stimulated by elevated energy expenditure and they were in thermoneutral conditions; thus, based on previous studies, water balance of fasting birds was expected to be maintained by increased catabolism of proteins. In contrast to this expectation, we found that access to water did not prevent reduction of proteinaceous tissue, but it saved fat reserves of the fasting birds. Thus, water balance of birds fasting without access to water seemed to be maintained by elevated fat catabolism, which generated 6 times more metabolic water compared with that in birds that had access to water. Therefore, we revise currently established views and propose fat to serve as the primary source for metabolic water production. Previously assumed increased protein breakdown for maintenance of water budget would occur if fat stores were depleted or if fat catabolism reached its upper limits due to high energy demands.
Published:
August 31, 2016
Title:
Large carnivore attacks on hominins during the Pleistocene: a forensic approach with a Neanderthal example
Authors:
Camarós, Edgard; Cueto, Marián; Lorenzo, Carlos; Villaverde, Valentín; Rivals, Florent
Abstract:
Interaction between hominins and carnivores has been common and constant through human evolution and generated mutual pressures similar to those present in worldwide modern human-carnivore conflicts. This current interaction is sometimes violent and can be reflected in permanent skeletal pathologies and other bone modifications. In the present paper, we carry out a survey of 124 forensic cases of dangerous human-carnivore encounters. The objective is to infer direct hominin-carnivore confrontation during the Pleistocene, which is important to understand behavioral changes during human evolution. In addition, the case of Neanderthals is analyzed in order to find evidence of past attacks using forensic observations. The results obtained pose that Neanderthals could potentially have been involved in dangerous encounters during the Pleistocene, validating our methodology to approach past attacks from a forensic perspective.
Published:
August 31, 2016
Title:
Make it clear: molds, transparent casts and lightning techniques for stereomicroscopic analysis of taphonomic modifications on bone surfaces
Authors:
Camarós, Edgard; Sánchez-Hernández, Carlos; Rivals, Florent
Abstract:
This paper provides detailed description of a non-destructive, low-cost, and low-time consuming technique for producing high-resolution casts for the observation of taphonomic modifications on bone surfaces. The aim of the whole process is to obtain molds that accurately replicate the original bone surface at both the macro- and microscopic levels. The high quality transparent epoxy casts produced are analyzed by light microscopy and used to produce detailed microphotographs of bone surfaces. After describing each step of the process, we present some examples of its application in the case of anthropic activity, carnivores, or other post-depositional modifications.
Published:
August 31, 2016
Title:
Chemical profiling of ancient hearths reveals recurrent salmon use in Ice Age Beringia
Authors:
Choy, Kyungcheol; Potter, Ben A.; McKinney, Holly J.; Reuther, Joshua D.; Wang, Shiway W.; Wooller, Matthew J.
Abstract:
Reconstructing subsistence practices of ancient hunter-gatherers requires quantitative data on food resources, which rarely preserve. Here we use chemical profiling of hearth sediments from three Ice Age occupations in Alaska (13,200–11,500 years ago), including compound-specific stable isotope analyses and a Bayesian mixing model, to estimate proportional contributions of marine (salmon), freshwater, and terrestrial resources. The model is verified through zooarchaeological analyses and demonstrates the importance of salmonid and freshwater resources to these early Americans. Our study also provides evidence for the earliest use of salmon in the Americas., Current approaches to reconstruct subsistence and dietary trends in ancient hunter-gatherer societies include stable isotope analyses, but these have focused on human remains, cooking pottery, and food residues, which are relatively rare in the archaeological record. In contrast, short-term hearths are more ubiquitous worldwide, and these features can provide valuable evidence for ancient subsistence practices, particularly when faunal remains are not preserved. To test the suitability of hearths for this purpose, we conducted multiple chemical analyses: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of total organic matter (expressed as δ13C and δ15N values) and compound-specific carbon isotope analyses of individual fatty acids (δ13C16:0 and δ13C18:0) from 17 well-preserved hearths present in three occupations dating between ∼13,200–11,500 calibrated years B.P. at the Upward Sun River (USR) site in central Alaska. We combined δ15N and δ13CFA data in a Bayesian mixing model (stable isotope analysis in R) with concentration dependency to each hearth. Our model values were tested against faunal indices, indicating a strong positive relationship between marine proportional contributions to each hearth and salmon abundance. Results of the models show substantial anadromous salmon use in multiple USR components, indicating recurrent use of the site for salmon processing during the terminal Pleistocene. Our results demonstrate that salmonid and freshwater resources were more important for late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers than previously thought and highlight the potential of chemical profiling of hearth organic residues for providing greater geographic and temporal insights into resource use by prepottery societies.
Published:
August 29, 2016
Title:
Avoiding the Unintended Consequences of Screening for Social Determinants of Health
Authors:
Garg, Arvin; Boynton-Jarrett, Renée; Dworkin, Paul H.
Abstract:
This Viewpoint discusses ways to increase the understanding of the influence of social determinants on health outcomes and provides a framework for the screening of patients.
Published:
August 22, 2016
Title:
Evidence and Role for Bacterial Mucin Degradation in Cystic Fibrosis Airway Disease
Authors:
Flynn, Jeffrey M.; Niccum, David; Dunitz, Jordan M.; Hunter, Ryan C.
Abstract:
Chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are composed of complex microbial communities that incite persistent inflammation and airway damage. Despite the high density of bacteria that colonize the lower airways, nutrient sources that sustain bacterial growth in vivo, and how those nutrients are derived, are not well characterized. In this study, we examined the possibility that mucins serve as an important carbon reservoir for the CF lung microbiota. While Pseudomonas aeruginosa was unable to efficiently utilize mucins in isolation, we found that anaerobic, mucin-fermenting bacteria could stimulate the robust growth of CF pathogens when provided intact mucins as a sole carbon source. 16S rRNA sequencing and enrichment culturing of sputum also identified that mucin-degrading anaerobes are ubiquitous in the airways of CF patients. The collective fermentative metabolism of these mucin-degrading communities in vitro generated amino acids and short chain fatty acids (propionate and acetate) during growth on mucin, and the same metabolites were also found in abundance within expectorated sputum. The significance of these findings was supported by in vivo P. aeruginosa gene expression, which revealed a heightened expression of genes required for the catabolism of propionate. Given that propionate is exclusively derived from bacterial fermentation, these data provide evidence for an important role of mucin fermenting bacteria in the carbon flux of the lower airways. More specifically, microorganisms typically defined as commensals may contribute to airway disease by degrading mucins, in turn providing nutrients for pathogens otherwise unable to efficiently obtain carbon in the lung.
Published:
August 21, 2016
Title:
Evaluation of the deleterious health effects of consumption of repeatedly heated vegetable oil
Authors:
Perumalla Venkata, Rekhadevi; Subramanyam, Rajagopal
Abstract:
Consumption of repeatedly heated cooking oil (RHCO) has been a regular practice without knowing the harmful effects of use. The present study is based on the hypothesis that, heating of edible oils to their boiling points results in the formation of free radicals that cause oxidative stress and induce damage at the cellular and molecular levels. Peroxide value of heated oil, histopathological alterations, antioxidant enzyme levels and blood biochemistry were determined in Wistar rats treated with the RHCO. RHCO revealed higher peroxide value in comparison to oil that has been unheated or singly heated. Histopathological observation depicted significant damage in jejunum, colon and liver of animals that received oil heated repeatedly for 3 times. The altered antioxidant status reflects an adaptive response to oxidative stress. Alteration in the levels of these enzymes might be due to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through auto oxidation or enzyme catalyzed oxidation of electrophilic components within RHCO. Analysis of blood samples revealed elevated levels of glucose, creatinine and cholesterol with declined levels of protein and albumin in repeatedly heated cooking oil group. Hematological parameters did not reveal any statistically significant difference between treated and control groups. Results of the present study confirm that the thermal oxidation of cooking oil generates free radicals and dietary consumption of such oil results in detrimental health effects.
Published:
August 15, 2016
Title:
Comparative and functional aspects of the musculature of the primate hand.
Authors:
P, Lemelin; Diogo, Rui
Abstract:
Published:
August 11, 2016
Title:
Anatomy, Function, and Evolution of the Primate Hand Musculature
Authors:
Lemelin, Pierre; Diogo, Rui
Abstract:
The musculature responsible for movement of the hand has been a topic of choice among anatomists, biological anthropologists, clinicians, and other students of the human body. While comparative anatomists have been preoccupied in establishing hand muscle homologies and documenting differences between species, clinical anatomists aimed at uncovering how muscles produce complex movements of the hand. This multidisciplinary perspective using comparative, functional, and even clinical approaches is recurrent in the writings of Frederic Wood Jones and John Napier on the hand musculature. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive background on the hand musculature of primates while preserving this multidisciplinary theme. The chapter has three main sections: (1) summary of the basic organization and homologies of the musculature of the human hand, (2) comparison of major differences in hand musculature between primates and other pentadactyl mammals, and (3) suggestions for areas of future research on the hand musculature of primates. The functional roles of selected hand muscles are briefly presented throughout the chapter.
Published:
August 10, 2016
Title:
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), third-wave CBT and interpersonal therapy (IPT) based interventions for preventing depression in children and adolescents
Authors:
Hetrick, Sarah E.; Cox, Georgina R.; Witt, Katrina G.; Bir, Julliet J.; Merry, Sally N.
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Depression is common in young people. It has a marked negative impact and is associated with self-harm and suicide. Preventing its onset would be an important advance in public health. This is an update of a Cochrane review that was last updated in 2011. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether evidence-based psychological interventions (including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT) and third wave CBT)) are effective in preventing the onset of depressive disorder in children and adolescents. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the specialised register of the Cochrane Common Mental Disorders Group (CCMDCTR to 11 September 2015), which includes relevant randomised controlled trials from the following bibliographic databases: The Cochrane Library (all years), EMBASE (1974 to date), MEDLINE (1950 to date) and PsycINFO (1967 to date). We searched conference abstracts and reference lists of included trials and reviews, and contacted experts in the field. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials of an evidence-based psychological prevention programme compared with any comparison control for young people aged 5 to 19 years, who did not currently meet diagnostic criteria for depression. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and rated their risk of bias. We adjusted sample sizes to take account of cluster designs and multiple comparisons. We contacted trial authors for additional information where needed. We assessed the quality of evidence for the primary outcomes using GRADE. MAIN RESULTS: We included 83 trials in this review. The majority of trials (67) were carried out in school settings with eight in colleges or universities, four in clinical settings, three in the community and four in mixed settings. Twenty-nine trials were carried out in unselected populations and 53 in targeted populations.For the primary outcome of depression diagnosis at medium-term follow-up (up to 12 months), there were 32 trials with 5965 participants and the risk of having a diagnosis of depression was reduced for participants receiving an intervention compared to those receiving no intervention (risk difference (RD) -0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.05 to -0.01; P value = 0.01). We rated this evidence as moderate quality according to the GRADE criteria. There were 70 trials (73 trial arms) with 13,829 participants that contributed to the analysis for the primary outcome of depression symptoms (self-rated) at the post-intervention time point, with results showing a small but statistically significant effect (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.21, 95% CI -0.27 to -0.15; P value < 0.0001). This effect persisted to the short-term assessment point (up to three months) (SMD -0.31, 95% CI -0.45 to -0.17; P value
Published:
August 8, 2016
Title:
Sociodemographic Factors, Acculturation, and Nutrition Management among Hispanic American Adults with Self-reported Diabetes
Authors:
Yoshida, Yilin Xu; Simonsen, Neal; Chen, Liwei; Zhang, L. u; Scribner, Richard; Tseng, Tung-Sung
Abstract:
This study aimed to examine whether sociodemographic factors and acculturation affect achievement of selected American Diabetes Association (ADA) nutrition therapy recommendations among Hispanics with diabetes. Cross-sectional data for Hispanics with diabetes in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2010 were used. Achievements of the ADA recommendation for five nutrition components were examined (i.e., daily intake of saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber, and daily servings of alcohol). Acculturation measurement derived from language use, country of birth, and length of residence in the U.S. Logistic regressions were performed. Only 49% of Hispanics with diabetes met three or more recommended criteria. Male gender and younger age (≤45) predicted poor recommendation adherence. More acculturated individuals had around 50% lower odds to achieve saturated fat [OR 0.5, CI 0.2–0.7], fiber [OR 0.5, CI 0.2–0.9], sodium [OR 0.5, CI 0.3–0.9] and cholesterol intake [OR 0.5, CI 0.3–0.8] recommendations than their less acculturated counterparts.
Published:
August 8, 2016
Title:
Integrative analysis of metabolome and gut microbiota in diet-induced hyperlipidemic rats treated with berberine compounds
Authors:
Meng Li; Xiangbing Shu; Hanchen Xu; Chunlei Zhang; Lili Yang; Li Zhang; Guang Ji; Li, Meng; Shu, Xiangbing; Xu, Hanchen; Zhang, Chunlei; Yang, Lili; Zhang, Li; Ji, Guang
Abstract:
Background: Hyperlipidemia is a major component of metabolic syndrome, and often predicts cardiovascular diseases. We developed a new therapeutic agent berberine compounds (BC), consisting of berberine, oryzanol and vitamin B6, and determined their anti-hyperlipidemia activity and underlying mechanisms.Methods: Male Wistar rats were fed a high fat diet (HFD) to induce hyperlipidemia, and then given BC orally for 4 weeks. Body weight and food intake were recorded weekly, and lipid profiles in serum were determined biochemically. Metabolites in serum, urine, liver and feces were analyzed by GC-MS, and the structure of microbiota was determined by 16S rDNA sequencing.Results: Lipid lowering was observed in the hyperlipidemic rats upon BC treatment without apparent adverse side effects. Metabolomics analysis indicated that the BC treatment resulted in increased pyruvic acid, serotonin, and ketogenic and glycogenic amino acid levels in the serum, increased pyridoxine and 4-pyridoxic acid in the urine, decreased hypotaurine and methionine in the liver, and increased putrescine and decreased deoxycholate and lithocholate in feces. The BC treatment also resulted in an enrichment of beneficial bacteria (e.g. Bacteroides, Blautia) and a decrease in Escherichia.Conclusions: The lipid lowering effect of BC treatment in hyperlipidemic rats is associated with a global change in the metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates and amino acids, as well as the structure of microbiota.
Published:
August 4, 2016
Title:
Warburg metabolism in tumor-conditioned macrophages promotes metastasis in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors:
Penny, Hweixian Leong; Sieow, Je Lin; Adriani, Giulia; Yeap, Wei Hseun; Ee, Peter See Chi; Luis, Boris San; Lee, Bernett; Lee, Terence; Mak, Shi Ya; Ho, Ying Swan; Lam, Kong Peng; Ong, Choon Kiat; Huang, Ruby Y. J.; Ginhoux, Florent; Rotzschke, Olaf; Kamm, Roger D.; Wong, Siew Cheng
Abstract:
Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) face a clinically intractable disease with poor survival rates, attributed to exceptionally high levels of metastasis. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is pronounced at inflammatory foci within the tumor; however, the immunological mechanisms promoting tumor dissemination remain unclear. It is well established that tumors exhibit the Warburg effect, a preferential use of glycolysis for energy production, even in the presence of oxygen, to support rapid growth. We hypothesized that the metabolic pathways utilized by tumor-infiltrating macrophages are altered in PDAC, conferring a pro-metastatic phenotype. We generated tumor-conditioned macrophages in vitro, in which human peripheral blood monocytes were cultured with conditioned media generated from normal pancreatic or PDAC cell lines to obtain steady-state and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), respectively. Compared with steady-state macrophages, TAMs promoted vascular network formation, augmented extravasation of tumor cells out of blood vessels, and induced higher levels of EMT. TAMs exhibited a pronounced glycolytic signature in a metabolic flux assay, corresponding with elevated glycolytic gene transcript levels. Inhibiting glycolysis in TAMs with a competitive inhibitor to Hexokinase II (HK2), 2-deoxyglucose (2DG), was sufficient to disrupt this pro-metastatic phenotype, reversing the observed increases in TAM-supported angiogenesis, extravasation, and EMT. Our results indicate a key role for metabolic reprogramming of tumor-infiltrating macrophages in PDAC metastasis, and highlight the therapeutic potential of using pharmacologics to modulate these metabolic pathways.
Published:
August 1, 2016
Title:
Exercise training improves obesity‐related lymphatic dysfunction
Authors:
Hespe, Geoffrey E.; Kataru, Raghu P.; Savetsky, Ira L.; García Nores, Gabriela D.; Torrisi, Jeremy S.; Nitti, Matthew D.; Gardenier, Jason C.; Zhou, Jie; Yu, Jessie Z.; Jones, Lee W.; Mehrara, Babak J.
Abstract:
Obesity results in perilymphatic inflammation and lymphatic dysfunction.Lymphatic dysfunction in obesity is characterized by decreased lymphatic vessel density, decreased collecting lymphatic vessel pumping frequency, decreased lymphatic trafficking of immune cells, increased lymphatic vessel leakiness and changes in the gene expression patterns of lymphatic endothelial cells.Aerobic exercise, independent of weight loss, decreases perilymphatic inflammatory cell accumulation, improves lymphatic function and reverses pathological changes in gene expression in lymphatic endothelial cells.
Published:
July 31, 2016
Title:
Prolonged Nightly Fasting and Breast Cancer Prognosis
Authors:
Marinac, Catherine R.; Nelson, Sandahl H.; Breen, Caitlin I.; Hartman, Sheri J.; Natarajan, Loki; Pierce, John P.; Flatt, Shirley W.; Sears, Dorothy D.; Patterson, Ruth E.
Abstract:
Importance
Rodent studies demonstrate that prolonged fasting during the sleep phase positively influences carcinogenesis and metabolic processes that are putatively associated with risk and prognosis of breast cancer. To our knowledge, no studies in humans have examined nightly fasting duration and cancer outcomes.
Objective
To investigate whether duration of nightly fasting predicted recurrence and mortality among women with early-stage breast cancer and, if so, whether it was associated with risk factors for poor outcomes, including glucoregulation (hemoglobin A1c), chronic inflammation (C-reactive protein), obesity, and sleep.
Design, Setting, and Participants
Data were collected from 2413 women with breast cancer but without diabetes mellitus who were aged 27 to 70 years at diagnosis and participated in the prospective Women’s Healthy Eating and Living study between March 1, 1995, and May 3, 2007. Data analysis was conducted from May 18 to October 5, 2015.
Exposures
Nightly fasting duration was estimated from 24-hour dietary recalls collected at baseline, year 1, and year 4.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Clinical outcomes were invasive breast cancer recurrence and new primary breast tumors during a mean of 7.3 years of study follow-up as well as death from breast cancer or any cause during a mean of 11.4 years of surveillance. Baseline sleep duration was self-reported, and archived blood samples were used to assess concentrations of hemoglobin A1cand C-reactive protein.
Results
The cohort of 2413 women (mean [SD] age, 52.4 [8.9] years) reported a mean (SD) fasting duration of 12.5 (1.7) hours per night. In repeated-measures Cox proportional hazards regression models, fasting less than 13 hours per night (lower 2 tertiles of nightly fasting distribution) was associated with an increase in the risk of breast cancer recurrence compared with fasting 13 or more hours per night (hazard ratio, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.05-1.76). Nightly fasting less than 13 hours was not associated with a statistically significant higher risk of breast cancer mortality (hazard ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.91-1.60) or a statistically significant higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.95-1.56). In multivariable linear regression models, each 2-hour increase in the nightly fasting duration was associated with significantly lower hemoglobin A1clevels (β = –0.37; 95% CI, –0.72 to –0.01) and a longer duration of nighttime sleep (β = 0.20; 95% CI, 0.14-0.26).
Conclusions and Relevance
Prolonging the length of the nightly fasting interval may be a simple, nonpharmacologic strategy for reducing the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Improvements in glucoregulation and sleep may be mechanisms linking nightly fasting with breast cancer prognosis.
Published:
July 31, 2016
Title:
The relationship between peripheral blood mononuclear cells telomere length and diet - unexpected effect of red meat
Authors:
Kasielski, Marek; Eusebio, Makandjou-Ola; Pietruczuk, Mirosława; Nowak, Dariusz
Abstract:
Repeated nucleotide sequences combined with proteins called telomeres cover chromosome ends and dictate cells lifespan. Many factors can modify telomere length, among them are: nutrition and smoking habits, physical activities and socioeconomic status measured by education level.
Published:
July 13, 2016
Title:
The Problem with Fat-Talk at the Pediatrician’s Office
Authors:
Freidenfelds, Lara
Abstract:
Published:
July 12, 2016
Title:
Footprints reveal direct evidence of group behavior and locomotion in Homo erectus
Authors:
Hatala, Kevin G.; Roach, Neil T.; Ostrofsky, Kelly R.; Wunderlich, Roshna E.; Dingwall, Heather L.; Villmoare, Brian A.; Green, David J.; Harris, John W. K.; Braun, David R.; Richmond, Brian G.
Abstract:
Bipedalism is a defining feature of the human lineage. Despite evidence that walking on two feet dates back 6–7 Ma, reconstructing hominin gait evolution is complicated by a sparse fossil record and challenges in inferring biomechanical patterns from isolated and fragmentary bones. Similarly, patterns of social behavior that distinguish modern humans from other living primates likely played significant roles in our evolution, but it is exceedingly difficult to understand the social behaviors of fossil hominins directly from fossil data. Footprints preserve direct records of gait biomechanics and behavior but they have been rare in the early human fossil record. Here we present analyses of an unprecedented discovery of 1.5-million-year-old footprint assemblages, produced by 20+ Homo erectus individuals. These footprints provide the oldest direct evidence for modern human-like weight transfer and confirm the presence of an energy-saving longitudinally arched foot in H. erectus. Further, print size analyses suggest that these H. erectus individuals lived and moved in cooperative multi-male groups, offering direct evidence consistent with human-like social behaviors in H. erectus.
Published:
July 11, 2016
Title:
Indigenous and tribal peoples' health (The Lancet–Lowitja Institute Global Collaboration): a population study
Authors:
Anderson, Ian; Robson, Bridget; Connolly, Michele; Al-Yaman, Fadwa; Bjertness, Espen; King, Alexandra; Tynan, Michael; Madden, Richard; Bang, Abhay; Coimbra, Carlos E. A.; Pesantes, Maria Amalia; Amigo, Hugo; Andronov, Sergei; Armien, Blas; Obando, Daniel Ayala; Axelsson, Per; Bhatti, Zaid Shakoor; Bhutta, Zulfiqar Ahmed; Bjerregaard, Peter; Bjertness, Marius B.; Briceno-Leon, Roberto; Broderstad, Ann Ragnhild; Bustos, Patricia; Chongsuvivatwong, Virasakdi; Chu, Jiayou; Deji; Gouda, Jitendra; Harikumar, Rachakulla; Htay, Thein Thein; Htet, Aung Soe; Izugbara, Chimaraoke; Kamaka, Martina; King, Malcolm; Kodavanti, Mallikharjuna Rao; Lara, Macarena; Laxmaiah, Avula; Lema, Claudia; Taborda, Ana María León; Liabsuetrakul, Tippawan; Lobanov, Andrey; Melhus, Marita; Meshram, Indrapal; Miranda, J. Jaime; Mu, Thet Thet; Nagalla, Balkrishna; Nimmathota, Arlappa; Popov, Andrey Ivanovich; Poveda, Ana María Peñuela; Ram, Faujdar; Reich, Hannah; Santos, Ricardo V.; Sein, Aye Aye; Shekhar, Chander; Sherpa, Lhamo Y.; Skold, Peter; Tano, Sofia; Tanywe, Asahngwa; Ugwu, Chidi; Ugwu, Fabian; Vapattanawong, Patama; Wan, Xia; Welch, James R.; Yang, Gonghuan; Yang, Zhaoqing; Yap, Leslie
Abstract:
Summary
Background
International studies of the health of Indigenous and tribal peoples provide important public health insights. Reliable data are required for the development of policy and health services. Previous studies document poorer outcomes for Indigenous peoples compared with benchmark populations, but have been restricted in their coverage of countries or the range of health indicators. Our objective is to describe the health and social status of Indigenous and tribal peoples relative to benchmark populations from a sample of countries.
Methods
Collaborators with expertise in Indigenous health data systems were identified for each country. Data were obtained for population, life expectancy at birth, infant mortality, low and high birthweight, maternal mortality, nutritional status, educational attainment, and economic status. Data sources consisted of governmental data, data from non-governmental organisations such as UNICEF, and other research. Absolute and relative differences were calculated.
Findings
Our data (23 countries, 28 populations) provide evidence of poorer health and social outcomes for Indigenous peoples than for non-Indigenous populations. However, this is not uniformly the case, and the size of the rate difference varies. We document poorer outcomes for Indigenous populations for: life expectancy at birth for 16 of 18 populations with a difference greater than 1 year in 15 populations; infant mortality rate for 18 of 19 populations with a rate difference greater than one per 1000 livebirths in 16 populations; maternal mortality in ten populations; low birthweight with the rate difference greater than 2% in three populations; high birthweight with the rate difference greater than 2% in one population; child malnutrition for ten of 16 populations with a difference greater than 10% in five populations; child obesity for eight of 12 populations with a difference greater than 5% in four populations; adult obesity for seven of 13 populations with a difference greater than 10% in four populations; educational attainment for 26 of 27 populations with a difference greater than 1% in 24 populations; and economic status for 15 of 18 populations with a difference greater than 1% in 14 populations.
Interpretation
We systematically collated data across a broader sample of countries and indicators than done in previous studies. Taking into account the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we recommend that national governments develop targeted policy responses to Indigenous health, improving access to health services, and Indigenous data within national surveillance systems.
Funding
The Lowitja Institute.
Published:
July 8, 2016
Title:
Can Ketones Help Rescue Brain Fuel Supply in Later Life? Implications for Cognitive Health during Aging and the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors:
Cunnane, Stephen C.; Courchesne-Loyer, Alexandre; Vandenberghe, Camille; St-Pierre, Valérie; Fortier, Mélanie; Hennebelle, Marie; Croteau, Etienne; Bocti, Christian; Fulop, Tamas; Castellano, Christian-Alexandre
Abstract:
We propose that brain energy deficit is an important pre-symptomatic feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that requires closer attention in the development of AD therapeutics. Our rationale is fourfold: (i) Glucose uptake is lower in the frontal cortex of people >65 years-old despite cognitive scores that are normal for age. (ii) The regional deficit in brain glucose uptake is present in adults
Published:
July 7, 2016
Title:
Climate, Environment and Early Human Innovation: Stable Isotope and Faunal Proxy Evidence from Archaeological Sites (98-59ka) in the Southern Cape, South Africa
Authors:
Roberts, Patrick; Henshilwood, Christopher S.; Niekerk, Karen L. van; Keene, Petro; Gledhill, Andrew; Reynard, Jerome; Badenhorst, Shaw; Lee-Thorp, Julia
Abstract:
The Middle Stone Age (MSA) of southern Africa, and in particular its Still Bay and Howiesons Poort lithic traditions, represents a period of dramatic subsistence, cultural, and technological innovation by our species, Homo sapiens . Climate change has frequently been postulated as a primary driver of the appearance of these innovative behaviours, with researchers invoking either climate instability as a reason for the development of buffering mechanisms, or environmentally stable refugia as providing a stable setting for experimentation. Testing these alternative models has proved intractable, however, as existing regional palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental records remain spatially, stratigraphically, and chronologically disconnected from the archaeological record. Here we report high-resolution records of environmental shifts based on stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in ostrich eggshell (OES) fragments, faunal remains, and shellfish assemblages excavated from two key MSA archaeological sequences, Blombos Cave and Klipdrift Shelter. We compare these records with archaeological material remains in the same strata. The results from both sites, spanning the periods 98–73 ka and 72–59 ka, respectively, show significant changes in vegetation, aridity, rainfall seasonality, and sea temperature in the vicinity of the sites during periods of human occupation. While these changes clearly influenced human subsistence strategies, we find that the remarkable cultural and technological innovations seen in the sites cannot be linked directly to climate shifts. Our results demonstrate the need for scale-appropriate, on-site testing of behavioural-environmental links, rather than broader, regional comparisons.
Published:
July 5, 2016
Title:
Neandertal cannibalism and Neandertal bones used as tools in Northern Europe
Authors:
Rougier, Hélène; Crevecoeur, Isabelle; Beauval, Cédric; Posth, Cosimo; Flas, Damien; Wißing, Christoph; Furtwängler, Anja; Germonpré, Mietje; Gómez-Olivencia, Asier; Semal, Patrick; van der Plicht, Johannes; Bocherens, Hervé; Krause, Johannes
Abstract:
Almost 150 years after the first identification of Neandertal skeletal material, the cognitive and symbolic abilities of these populations remain a subject of intense debate. We present 99 new Neandertal remains from the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium) dated to 40,500–45,500 calBP. The remains were identified through a multidisciplinary study that combines morphometrics, taphonomy, stable isotopes, radiocarbon dating and genetic analyses. The Goyet Neandertal bones show distinctive anthropogenic modifications, which provides clear evidence for butchery activities as well as four bones having been used for retouching stone tools. In addition to being the first site to have yielded multiple Neandertal bones used as retouchers, Goyet not only provides the first unambiguous evidence of Neandertal cannibalism in Northern Europe, but also highlights considerable diversity in mortuary behaviour among the region’s late Neandertal population in the period immediately preceding their disappearance.
Published:
July 5, 2016
Title:
Teaching Food and Culture
Authors:
Abstract:
With the rapid growth and interest in food studies around the U.S. and globally, the original essays in this one-of-a-kind volume aid instructors in expanding their teaching to include both the latest scholarship and engage with public debate around issues related to food. The chapters represent the product of original efforts to develop ways to teach both with and about food in the classroom, written by innovative instructors who have successfully done so. It would appeal to community college and university instructors in anthropology and social science disciplines who currently teach or want to develop food-related courses. This book -illustrates the creative ways that college instructors have tackled teaching about food and used food as an instructional device;-aims to train the next generation of food scholars to deal with the complex problems of feeding an ever-increasing population -contains an interview with Sidney Mintz, the most influential anthropologist shaping the study of food
Published:
June 30, 2016
Title:
Reply to Mitteroecker and Fischer: Developmental solutions to the obstetrical dilemma are not Gouldian spandrels
Authors:
León, Marcia S. Ponce de; Huseynov, Alik; Zollikofer, Christoph P. E.
Abstract:
In our study on human pelvic development (1), we propose two hypotheses explaining the narrowing of the female pelvis during postreproductive life. Hypothesis 1 proposes ultimate, evolutionary causes, reflecting selective pressures acting on postreproductive life. Hypothesis 2 proposes proximate, developmental causes, reflecting reduced estrogen levels during postreproductive life. Mitteroecker and Fischer (2) replicate one part of our study—that concerning adult pelvic development—with an independent dataset, taking into account age effects on pelvic shape variation not considered in their earlier study (3). (Note that the smoothing functions used in our study only serve for visual guidance, not for statistical testing.) Rather than testing our hypotheses (1) with new … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: marcia{at}aim.uzh.ch. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Published:
June 27, 2016
Title:
Elephants are people, people are elephants: Human–proboscideans similarities as a case for cross cultural animal humanization in recent and Paleolithic times
Authors:
Lev, Ma'ayan; Barkai, Ran
Abstract:
Human and elephants shared habitats and interacted from Paleolithic times to the present day. It appears that pre-historic hunter–gatherers were wise enough to understand that elephants are cohabiters of the human race and not a product to be exploited in an uncontrolled way. The understanding of the long tradition of human and elephant relationship and kinship may change the mind-set of modern humans to lead to carry on the important relationship between man and elephant in particular, and man and nature in general, and prevent future extinctions of all species involved. This study is conducted in the spirit of the newly developed multidisciplinary study field of ‘Ethnoelephantology’ that studies human and elephant relationships and strives to protect the endangered species. In order to have better understanding of this unique relationship we will explore it through the study of food taboos in modern hunter–gatherers societies. More so, in this study we detected multiple striking similarities between elephant and man in several fields, such as physical, behavioral/social and conceptual. The importance of this study is in providing a new and better perspective about human and animal relationship, specifically elephants. We suggest that the physical and social uniqueness of the elephant, and its unique resemblance to man in so many aspects, alongside its pivotal role as a major food source, is what makes it appropriate for serving as a cosmological and conceptual beacon, mostly conceived in recent hunter–gatherers societies by the concept of taboo. Although detecting food taboos in the deep past are not possible, we believe that the archaeological evidence presented in this paper could indicate that human–elephant interactions in the past were complex, and were not based solely on human perception of the elephant as a food and raw material source.
Published:
June 24, 2016
Title:
Not the brain alone: The nutritional potential of elephant heads in Paleolithic sites
Authors:
Agam, Aviad; Barkai, Ran
Abstract:
The presence of elephants, and specifically of elephant head remains, is well demonstrated in many Paleolithic sites in Europe, Africa, and Asia. However, the possible mechanisms for the exploitation of this enormous body part are rarely discussed, and it is often suggested that elephants' heads were exploited specifically for the extraction and consumption of the brain. In this paper, we discuss the nutritional potential that lies within elephants' heads as implied by ethnographic and zoological literature, and present archaeological evidence from Paleolithic sites for the exploitation of proboscideans' heads. The data show that the prevailing view should be re-evaluated, and that the nutritional potential within the elephant's head extends far beyond the brain. We suggest that organs such as the temporal gland, the trunk, the tongue, the mandible and the skull itself were exploited routinely as an integral part of early humans' diet. The nutritional potential of the elephant head provides a parsimonious explanation for the investment early humans put into transporting and exploiting this specific body part at open-air sites but particularly at cave sites, and serves as a significant beacon in understanding Paleolithic human behavior in relation to proboscidean remains.
Published:
June 24, 2016
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